Magic, Illusions, and a Mix of the Two
by Le-Herpington
Summary: Ruby wants to put on a magic show for her team. Weiss wants to study. Blake wants to read. Yang just wants to eat some popcorn. It goes off as well as it sounds.


**This is a Mon-Con April Submission, for /r/RWBY.**

* * *

"So..." Weiss began. "Magic?"

Ruby nodded, eagerly holding what looked like a plastic wand. In front of her was a table with random supplies, like water, and a deck of what Weiss assumed were trick cards. Yang and Blake were next to her, all seated on Blake's bed, facing the middle of the room.

Weiss pinched her nose, Yang excitedly bit into a bag of popcorn, and Blake... was being Blake about it. Silent, semi-broody but in a funny way.

"Why," She dared ask, "do you think we'd enjoy magic shows like this?"

"Aww, come on Weiss-y, don't you think this'll be fun? I know Blake is into it."

"Yeah, go Ruby." The cat-girl said in a monotone voice. She wasn't even looking up from her book, yet she was waving around a banner that said 'RWBY' on it. Yang gestured with both arms in what could only be described as overkill. Blake muttered something unintelligible.

"Okay, and the outfit?" Weiss pointed out. Ruby pouted, the top hat on her head falling past her eyes, too big to be worn. Her suit was that of an illusionist, but her cape was still ever-present.

"Let her have her fun, and maybe you will too. You never know, you may enjoy it." Yang usually wasn't this convincing, but something about the face Ruby was giving her just made her feel like she had slaughtered a box of puppies.

"Fine, just get it over with." Ruby's face lit up with happiness, and she raced over to hug the Ice Queen. Weiss swore she could feel the room heat up from the contact.

"Are you... blushing?" Yang said. Weiss quickly looked away.

"No."

Maybe this will be worth it after all.

* * *

"For my first trick, I need a volunteer. Weiss, I choose you."

 _'Not how volunteers work.'_ Weiss mentally corrected Ruby, standing up to go next to her. Ruby held out a deck of cards, spread between her fingers. "Pick a card, any card."

Weiss grabbed the first card she saw, a three of hearts.

"Show everyone but me your card, please."

She complied.

"Now put it into the deck, and shuffle it yourself."

Weiss placed the card back, and grabbed the deck, before doing a perfect shuffle three times. Everyone just stared at her.

"Weiss," Yang asked, "how do you know to do a perfect shu-"

"Later."

* * *

"Who wants to be my next volunteer?" When no one raised their hand, Ruby pointed at Weiss again.

"Looks like you're up!"

"I pass my volunteer to Yang, who should be ready to go up there." Weiss quickly interjected.

"I didn't know you cared!" Yang joked, before looking at the box in front of her. Both girls grimaced at the splintery wooden boards, half rotted and full of holes. "But I think I'll pass."

* * *

"My next trick is one of minor im...imp...imp..." Ruby held up a finger, "Ah-choo!" and shot out a large rainbow colored cloth from her nose.

"That's not how it works..." She commented to the bemused audience. As she looked through their faces, seeing Weiss smiling pushed her to move on, content with the trick.

* * *

"This one involves a saw-blade, two people, and an assistant who-"

"No."

* * *

"Now, watch as I make myself... vanish?" Ruby asked, having found her trick didn't work. "I said... Vanish!" As the three girls went to respond, Ruby whiffed away in a cloud of rose petals.

Two minutes later she was back with three cookies, a glass of milk, and a scolding from an annoyed Glynda Goodwitch.

She also managed to get Weiss some cotton candy, but gave no explanation as to how.

* * *

"What about you Blake?"

"Oh, no, I don't believe in magic."

Everyone halted and looked at her.

"Just because I don't believe in magic doesn't mean I don't enjoy this."

 _'Of all people, Blake was the one who said that?'_ Weiss thought. _'Blake?'_

"Blake, we live in a world where we fight beasts of negative emotion, with absurd weapons, using the power of out souls. We are the literal, real life versions of magical girls." Yang said. "How do you not even have a tiny belief in magic?"

Weiss couldn't help but add, "Aren't your fictional tastes in the fantastical realm? How do you not believe in magic? Even I believe in magic, it's a common thing for Remnant."

She shrugged and went back to her book.

* * *

Ruby flicked her wrist, tiny birds flying out of her sleeve. "Magic!" She exclaimed.

"Powdered doves, water in the sleeve." Blake claimed.

"Excuse me, powdered what?"

* * *

"Oh, ohoh oh ohohohoh how about-"

"NO."

* * *

"Magic?" Glynda asked, looking at the four girls. "Of course I don't believe in magic." Blake gestured a vague thanks, but was silenced from her nonverbal speaking when Glynda finished.

"It is a whimsical force of nature. It exists, there is no believing involved. It will be here whether you want it to or not."

Blake's mouth dropped open as the professor turned around to leave, removing her cape. She held it like a cloth, and dropped it, her form dissipating behind it as if it were air.

Ruby got outraged. "Oh, so she can do it correctly but when I try..."

* * *

"And, to finish it off, I will pull a rabbit, out of my hat!" Ruby exclaimed.

Everyone groaned, it was the most cliche finisher. She already did the vanishing act, so this was it.

Ruby pulled off her top hat, flipped it upside-down, and began to wave her wand over the hat. Reciting incantations of some false nature, she tapped the wand against the side, before dropping it completely. "Aaannnd..."

"Voila!" She said, shoving her hand into the hat, pulling out a head with two brown bunny ears.

 _'Wait, what?'_

"Where... am I?" Velvet asked.


End file.
